There's a guy in Houston who used to be excellent (even used to sit in for Levin from time to time), but he either got lazy or decided he wanted to appeal to a less serious crowd. He has good insight, which is one of the main things that set Rush apart from others. He's had experience in the political arena as an office holder, so he knows how the system works. He is (was) able to execute a sustained program of meaningful content for a number of years.
I hardly listen to him anymore, but since he's on same network as EIB, I do catch snippets often. He's still got it, but he likes to mix it in with jabbery stuff. Bores the liver out of me. Likes to talk about music from various eras, where he once ate the best biscuits and gray, and what makes the best hamburger. Should you eat it with mustard or mayonnaise? (The obvious answer is mustard, but that's a subject for a much less weighty show.) A lot of his venue is just small talk, and I can't take that. If he were still on his game, I'd recommend him in a heartbeat.
Whatever they end up doing with the timeslot, I hope it's EIB affiliated. I do want to have Rush's wisdom and insight aired when applicable. A good host could weave it in flawlessly with his/her own comments about present-day events. I'd like someone who has ideas of how to motivate, incentivize, and re-educate Americans. A few guests might be nice, but a VERY few. There's enough of that on cable news. And if they have guests, have long-form interviews. Don't get crunched by the clock. Do enough segments that will yield the most information or ideas.
Mark Steyn, as good as he is, is not the right person. I know too many people who tuned out when they heard that Steyn was guest hosting. And I get it to a certain degree. His voice and repetitive manner of speaking can and does get a bit annoying after a while until you just can't take anymore. Love him, but, seriously, a little of Mark Steyn goes a long way.
One more thing: do NOT be rude to the callers. I can only take the first hour of Levin because he's so caustic to his callers. I would appreciate hearing how someone might convince a liberal to take another look at the things he/she believes. You'll never flip them with insults. If "come let us reason together" is good enough for the Lord, there must be something to it.